New Years Roasted Carrot Soup

Before stepping out to our New Years Party, I decided to put my organic carrots from the farmers market (Tel Aviv Port) to good use. I have a favorite carrot soup recipe, it packs the perfect flavor of carrots with only a few ingredients (6 total). The secret is broiling the carrots, it brings a depth of flavor that tastes perfect every time. Below is my rendition of a recipe I found on my favorite recipe site, food52.com.
Armed with my hipstamatic iphone app, I bring the process to you...

(Serves 4)

6-8 large carrots

1/4 cup olive oil

salt

pepper (freshly ground)

5/6 cups veggie stock

1 inch long piece ginger (fresh/whole)

1 sprig thyme

1 small sweet onion

2 large cloves of garlic

1. Clean and peel 6-8 large carrots. (Pre-heat oven to broil).

2. Slice and lay slices flat on broiling pan.

3. Mix with oil and sea salt (using your hands!).

4. Broil for about 10-15 minutes, flip carrots over half-way through. They should come out with charred edges. Isn't it fun to burn things once in awhile? In this case it's tasty, that's for sure. They should come out looking like this...

(I add some quartered shallots as well)

5. While the carrots are broiling, sauté a small, sweet onion in olive oil. (Use a large stock pot or wok)

6. At the same time, simmer the ginger and twig of thyme in the 6 cups of stock for 10 minutes.

7. Once the onions have just browned, add the garlic and the carrots. Sauté for a few minutes, and add the stock mixture (without the ginger and thyme).

8. Simmer until carrots are soft.

9. Blend until smooth. I always keep some extra stock, in case the mixture is too thick - you can always stir it in at the end.

10. Add s/p to taste.

I usually add a dollop of cream, or a carrot chip for garnish. You can use a small twig of thyme as well. The mixture should come out a pale orange. Since I like using the purple, white, and yellow organic carrots from the farmers market, my soup usually comes out a muddy purple color. Needless to say, it doesn't make for the most attractive of bowls, but it sure comes back empty every time.

Original recipe here

B'te Avon! ~ Kassandra MJ Grunewald